Lithuanian scientists discover how to recycle cigarette butts to reduce biodiesel production costs

In Lithuania, Lithuanian scientists discovered a way to reduce the cost of biodiesel production by adding the by-product of cigarette waste recycling.

The high production cost of biodiesel remains a major barrier to its wider applicability, and, depending on the biomass source, using it may cause pollution. Adding a blender such as a triacetin compound, can solve both of these issues, according to research. Unfortunately, triacetin is usually produced chemically, consuming a lot of chemicals, and resulting in waste and toxic residues.

Researchers from the Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI) conducted a series of experiments where they used pyrolysis to thermally decompose cigarette waste. The experiments were carried out in a 200 g reactor at different reaction temperatures (650, 700, and 750°C). The biggest quantity of triacetin (43 per cent) was synthesized at 750°C.

Although there have been attempts to recycle cigarette waste for the extraction of raw materials, the majority of studies focused on the investigation of thermal degradation of the individual components. Lithuanian scientists in their experiments were treating cigarette butts as a mixture, and, according to them, it is an original approach.